Department to visit skinny pants protest school

Students from Pretoria West High School want to wear skinny pants as part of their school uniforms. Picture: Bongani Shilulbane/ANA Pictures

Pretoria - Education Department officials are scheduled to visit Pretoria West High School on Monday, where pupils boycotted classes and demanded to wear skinny pants instead of normal cut pants.

Disrupting academic activities on Friday, pupils said the usual school uniform cut was too big; they wanted to be allowed to wear skinny pants.

“A team of department officials will go to the school and look into the matter. But even so, the department strongly condemns any disruption of schools by anyone,” said department spokesperson Steve Mabona.

He expressed the department’s disappointment at the academic disruption, especially when pupils should be preparing for their preliminary exams.

As for the pupils admitting that the issue had not been tabled with the school governing body, he said: “Who did they engage with to raise the issue? Disrupting school for the way you want to look is ridiculous. There are leaders and structures you need to interact with to raise issues."

On Friday, pupils vowed to wear skinny pants until the school gave in to their demands.